High Desert Mariachi Juvenil, of Victorville, performs during the Seventh Annual Battle of the Mariachis. The band won second place in 2009. MAYA SUGARMAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

IF YOU GO

What: Battle of the Mariachis Festival

Where: The Mission in San Juan Capistrano

When: Saturday from 11 a.m. to about 4 p.m. The Mission opens at 9 a.m. Early arrival is recommended. You can bring your own chair and food, but seating and refreshments for purchase also will be available. No alcohol is allowed.

Cost: $10 for Adults, $9 for people older than 60 and $6 for children ages 4 to 11.

It started nearly a decade ago as a way to highlight the cultural heritage of one of Southern California's most recognizable historic buildings.

Since then, the Battle of the Mariachis Festival – set for Saturday at Mission San Juan Capistrano – has grown into one of the mission's premier events and fundraisers, thanks in part to donations from a longtime Orange County resident and lifetime lover of mariachi music.

Tracy began sponsoring the musical showdown – now in its ninth year – in 2007 to honor her late husband, Tom, who died in 2006. The couple realized they shared a love for the music when they met in 1966. They married in 1967, and mariachi became a part of family events like birthdays, christenings, weddings and funerals.

"It was a mutual admiration," Tracy said.

Tracy's desire to honor her husband through his favorite music allowed the Battle of the Mariachis to flourish, said Mechelle Lawrence Adams.

"It means the revenue for the day can go to keeping this monument open," she said.

At the time Tracy came on board, the event was in its early stages and building momentum, but it was in need of a long-term funding source.

Lawrence Adams helped launch the event when she took over as the mission's executive director in 2003.

"One of the things I noticed about the mission was it had a rich history, but it didn't feel like the local Hispanic community was enjoying it," Lawrence Adams said. "The accessibility – the reachabilty – needed to go to the whole community."

"American Idol" inspired her.

"I said, 'Let's do something like that with mariachi music,'" Lawrence Adams said.

"The day was completely magical. The attitude that they brought to the site was respectful, and the art that they showcased was so amazing," Lawrence Adams said. "We'd scratched the surface of something really special."

The event is a friendly but competitive battle between some of the region's top mariachi bands. Bands spend months preparing. Eight from California and one from Arizona are set to play Saturday. The top prize: $2,000. Prizes of $1,500 and $1,000 will be awarded to second- and third-place finishers. Honorable mention will receive $750 and the winner of the Tom Tracy Shining Star award will receive $500.

Alex Ceja volunteers at the event and leads Mariachi for All, a program aimed at introducing children – and the rest of the community – to a form of music that's long been a part of San Juan Capistrano.

"It goes with the culture of San Juan Capistrano," Ceja said. He started Mariachi for All – also known as the Capistrano Community Mariachi Program – in 2008. His family has been involved in the mariachi community for 35 years, including directing a children's choir.

Performers in Ceja's program will perform the national anthem. They're also to perform twice during intermission, along with a local Spanish ballet group, Ballet Folklorico de San Juan Capistrano.

Lawrence Adams described the event as a family-friendly party, complete with the ringing of historic bells.

"It's like a grand fiesta at the mission, just like the mission used to have festivals and fiestas when it opened," she said. "It's not about commercializing the mission. It's about creating relative community events that have emotional meaning behind them."

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